Driving means for cigarette conveyers in cigarette-rod machines



Aug. 6, 1929. P. L. GRAUPNER- DRIVING MEANS FOR CIGARETTE CONVEYERS IN CIGARETTE ROD MACHINES Filed April 11, 1925 Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL LOUIS GRA'U'PNER, 0F DRE GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSELLE DRIVING MEANS FOR CIGARETTE CONV'EYERS IN CIGARETTE-ROD MACHINES.

Application filed April 11, 1925, Serial No. 22,370, and in Germany April 30, 1924.

In cigarette rod machines, the cigarettes passing out from the cigarette guide groove are, as is welldmmvn, conveyed to a rece1ving apparatus, and it cigarettes with mouthpieces are dealt with, the receiving apparatus is provided with means for arranging the same into two piles, so that all cigarettes of each pile extend with their mouthpieces in the same direction. This ctaive'ying apparatus consists oi? a driven body whose speed is adjusted to be in a certain'relation to that of the cigarette rod. This conveyor can be constructed in various ways, as for instance, it may consist of a drum formed on its circumference with pockets or chambers, each to receive a cigarette. The same may also consistof a revoluble disc on the circumference of which gripping means may be pro vided, whereby the cigarettes, after a certain rotation of the disc, will be transported to a suitable place. When the speed of the cigarette rod is changed, the speed of the con veyer must naturally be correspondingly changed, so that the pockets or grippers may be properly positioned. in relation to the advanced cigarette rod. This adjustment can be simply effected by operatively connecting the driving means of the conveyor to that of the rod forming device, whereby are tomatically a change of the speed of the cigarette rod will cause a corresponding change of the speed of the conveyor. It must, however, be considered that as a result of the change of the speed of the cigarette rod, the cigarettes passing out from their guide describe an air path before reaching the conveyer and that this path increases with the speed of the cigarette rod. Consequently the time required by the cigarettes to pass from the guide to the conveyor varies. Soon after the effected change and the machine is caused to run with its new speed, the time for the ci arettes to pass from the guide to the receiving apparatus again becomes constant.

It now when changing the speed of the cigarette rod, only the speed of the conveyor would be changed, then the difference of the extent of the air path of the cigarette would be left out of consideration, as a result of which the cigarettes would no longer reach the conveyer. It is, therefore, necessary, when increasing the speed of the cigarette rod, to first adjust the speed of the conveyor, so as to cause it to correspondingly retard, according to the longer time required for the passage of the cigarettes from the guide to the conveyer and vice versa, when the speed of the cigarette rod is decreased, to accelerate the conveyor to correspond with the shorter time for the passage of the cigarettes from the guide to the apparatus. As soon as the proper ratio is established, the speeds ol the cigarette rod and the conveyor must conterm.

This invention has for its object to provide means for bringing about the described adjustment, which means consist of a differential gear inserted in the driving mechanism of the conveyor in such a manner that when increasing the speed of the cigarette red, the motion of the conveyer will be temporarily retarded, until its receiving or gripping means are properly positioned for receiving the cigarettes, and vice versa, when decreasing the speed of the cigarette red, the conveyor will be accelerated. Accordingly the differential gear arranged in a certain relation to the starting lever of the machine, so that when the machine is set for a new speed, the conveyor will be correspomlingly accelerated or retarded.

lily-invention will be more fully understood by reference to the a rcompanying drawing in which similar reference characters denote corresponding parts and in which Fig. 1 shows the combination of the new driving mechanism for the conveyor and the driving mechanism of the machine; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 on reduced scale and Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 3-3 oi. Fig. 1 also 011 reduced scale.

The shaft h is constantly driven by wellknown means as tor instance, gears, trom the driving mechanism (not shown) oft the machine, and is supported in a bearing Z. From this shaft rotation is to be imparted to the coaxially arranged shaft 2' supported in the bearing m, and from which the cigarette conveyor such as drum 1) is driven which is adapted to receive the cigarette passing out from the cigarette guide groove G. This is eli'ected through the medium of bevel gears c, f, g, the gears and being mounted on the ends of the shafts i, it, re spectively, and bevel gear 6, which meshes with both said gears g and f, being carried by a s indle 0 rotatively mounted in a sleeve 7. Tiie latter is carried by a U-shaped member (3 formed at its ends with ringshaped extensions cl, which engage cylindrical portions of the bearings Z and m, so that the member 0? can oscillate around the axes of the shafts h and 2'. \Vhen' the mem ber (Z is oscillated in one or the other direc tion, the bevel gear a will be caused to roll over the gears f and 9.

Normally the member (l occupies the position shown in Fig. 1, abutting with a set screw 9 against a wing 41. In this position the shaft 7t transmits rotation to the shaft 2' through the gears e, f, g. As soon, however, as the member (Z is oscillated in one or the other direction and the gear 6 rolls over the gears f, g, the rotary motion transmitted from the shaft 71/ to shaft 2' will be either re tarded or accelerated, so that the shaft i will revolve with slower or faster speed.

The wing 4) consists of a lever formed with a ring-shaped extension '2) engaging the cylindrical part of the bearing Z and capable of oscillating thereon. This lever, on its free end, carries a roller 0 bearing on a cam b fixed on a spindle k rotatively 'mounted in a bearing 8 and carrying a hand lever a. This lever may be the starting lever of the machine, so that by turning the spindle k, the machine is set into operation or the speed of the machine is regulated. Thus for instance, by turning the spindle is, the driving belt 10 of the machine may be shifted from an idle pulley 11 onto a. driving pulley 12 and by a further turning, from the latter to another high speed transmission pulley 13 in any well known manner (Fig. 1). Being fixed on the spindle k, the cam sector I) will be positively adjusted by the manipulation of the lever a, as a result of which the wing 41, whose roller 0 bears on said cam sector, will be oscillated, which in turn causes the oscillation of the member (Z around the axes of the shafts h, In consequence thereof, the bevel gear 6 will be caused to roll over said gears f and 9,

retarding or accelerating the rotation of the shaft 2' imparted to it from the shaft 11'. Thus the drive of the shaft i is automatically and positively controlled through the speed regulation of the cigarette rod machine.

The shaft i drives the conveyer i. e. the apparatus adapted to receive the cigarettes from the guide of the latter and to deposit the same at a suitable place. The parts are so arranged relative to one another, that on the turning of the hand lever (in to increase the speed of the machine, the member (Z will be oscillated, so as to temporarily retard the rotation of the shaft a, while, when the lever (a is turned to decrease the speed of the machine, the rotation of the shaft i will be temporarily accelerated.

What I claim is 1. In a cigarette rod machine, the combiion with means for changing the speed -d machine and a rod guide, of a rotary cigarette conveyer adapted to receive the cigarettes from said rod guide, means for revolving said conveyor, said means in eluding a differential mechanism and means intervening between said differential mechanism and said speed changing means whereby while the speed of the machine is increased the speed of said. conveyor will be temporarily reduced and vice versa.

2. In a cigarette rod machine, the combination with means for changing the speed of said machine and a 1O( guide, of a rotary cigarette conveyer adapted to receive the cigarettes from said rod guide, means for revolving said conveyor, said means including a differential mechanism and an oscillatory member oieratively connected thereto and means intervening between said oscillatory member and said speed changing means whereby while the speed of the machine is increased the speed of said couveyer will be temporarily reduced and vice In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

PAUL LOUIS GRAUPNER. 

